Sofia dropped her head, then raised it, tilting it at a slight angle. She hadn’t forgotten how the same manoeuvre had given Princess Diana’s words extra depth during her revelatory BBC interview decades earlier. Sofia altered her tone so that it was softer, almost regretful. ‘For somany years I put my career and my body of work ahead of having a family of my own. And I’ll be honest with you, Fiona, it has been one of my biggest regrets.’
‘I haven’t asked you about your husband. Have long have you been married?’
Sofia curled her toes tightly. ‘My darling Patrick and I have been married for almost forty years now.’
‘And he’s your fifth husband, if I remember correctly?’
‘Yes.’ Her reply was curt before she corrected herself. ‘My twenties and thirties were a busy time,’ she chuckled. ‘But you know what they say, “fifth time’s a charm.” Well, something like that. But like I said to you earlier, I have been very blessed with a long, happy life. I can only hope your little girl goes on to live as many joys as I have, along with all the other children and their families I have supported over the years.’
‘I know we don’t have much time left, so I should conclude by asking why my fellow jurors and the public should support you?’
‘I’d never be as bold as to say peopleshouldvote for me, but of course I would like them to. If I am permitted to live, then I will not take one second of it for granted and I’ll continue to put the people’s needs above my own. A priest I knew once told me “a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle”. That’s how I’ve lived my life.’
The countdown clock reached zero and Sofia relaxed back into her seat, stroking Oscar and imagining the audience’s standing ovation. The next voice to speak she recognised as the Hacker’s.
‘Thank you, Sofia,’ he began. ‘No one can argue that you have certainly led an interesting life.’
‘The fans have put me where I am and I am here to serve them,’ she replied.
‘Do you mind if I ask you another question, on their behalf?’ Sofia nodded, welcoming more time in thespotlight. ‘Was there ever a point when you considered starting a family?’
‘Of course, much in the same way as every woman does.’
Suddenly, instinct told Sofia the Hacker wasn’t playing all his cards at once. She needed to give him something – a diversion – and quickly. ‘If you really want to know the truth, I didn’t start a family of my own because I wasn’t able to have children.’
She gave a stage pause, removed a tissue from her bag and dabbed at her non-existent tears. She knew from the silence that she was still holding everyone’s attention.
‘By the time I met Patrick I was ready for a family, but alas my body wasn’t. I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids that were causing me a great deal of pain. And as a result, I needed a hysterectomy. As you can imagine, it was devastating. I celebrated my fortieth birthday in a hospital room crying my heart out for something I’d only recently realised I wanted. Back then, you couldn’t just bank eggs like girls do now and surrogacy wasn’t the thing it is today, so I lost my only chance at motherhood. And I suppose that’s why I raise so much money for children’s charities. I think of all the little ones I have helped as my own extended family.’
‘I am a little confused though.’
‘About what?’
‘Because I thought the decision not to have a familywasyour own? According to the medical records I have here in my possession, it wasn’t taken out of your hands at all, it was your own choice.’
Sofia held her breath.He knows, she thought.He knows everything. She pressed a hand to her throat as she waited for him to continue. After a crippling pause, Sofia was the first to break. ‘It was a complicated time.’
‘It wasn’t really though, was it? You didn’t have a hysterectomy, you opted to be sterilised. Why ever wouldsomeone who claims to have wanted to start a family go to such extremes not to have one?’
Sofia glared at the camera. Her mask had slipped and she had finished playing her part but the audience remained seated.
‘If you’re not willing to share this with the fans you claim to serve, would you like me to do it for you?’ His suggestion was met with stony silence. ‘I’ll take that as a yes. The reason why you chose to be sterilised was because—’
‘I want to remove myself from this competition,’ Sofia said suddenly. ‘Take me off the list. I want to let someone else live instead of me.’
It was the first time she heard the Hacker laugh. ‘You would really rather die than have the truth come out?’
‘I don’t want to be a part of this any longer,’ Sofia continued. ‘It’s sick, you threatening us all, raking up private things that have no business being spoken about in public.’
‘So you only want them to know the real you if it’s on your terms?’
‘My private life is my own business.’
‘That barn door is wide open and the horse has long since bolted, Sofia. The truth is that you had yourself sterilised so that your husband couldn’t get you pregnant.’
Sofia’s silence was as good as admitting her guilt.
‘And why didn’t you want to carry his child?’
